The Government Will Attempt to Seize and Forfeit Your Assets
Asset forfeiture is one of the most powerful weapons available to federal and state governments. It can be one of the most severe consequences of federal or state criminal charges. It can be done in an administrative action, civil action or within a criminal proceeding. In these cases, it is especially important to hire an experienced federal criminal defense lawyer.
Deborah is the former Chief of the Asset Forfeiture Unit in the United States Attorney’s Office in the District of South Carolina. She is a search and seizure lawyer with more than 25 years of experience of being involved in, litigating forfeiture matters, and supervising other prosecutors in forfeiture matters. She has also trained state and federal law enforcement on forfeiture issues.
The federal government will often seize homes, planes, boats, bank accounts, cash – anything they can suggest was purchased through fraudulent means, was involved in criminal activity or was otherwise illegal funds. Certain cases even result in business asset seizure.
The search and seizure of assets can be done for a number of reasons:
- If the asset was purchased with proceeds of illegal activity;
- If the asset was used to commit a crime; or
- If the money was laundered.
Using her experience in this arena, Deborah can help you determine available defenses and the correct strategy in any forfeiture action.
